Please forward this newsletter to anyone who may be interested. February 16, 2016

CASA Active on the Recycled Water Funding Front

To help ensure additional reliable recycled water supplies, CASA is supporting a State Water Resources Control Board resolution to provide nearly one billion in very low interest loans for recycling projects.

We're now accepting applications for the CASA Award of Excellence. You may have noticed we changed the name of the program. We've made some other changes as well, which include better recognizing and publicizing the applicants and winners. It's time to get started on your application - the deadline is April 15! Read more...

Scholarships Available for Future Clean Water Professionals

The CASA Education Foundation is now accepting applications for its 2016 scholarships. The deadline to apply is April 29. We encourage you to spread the word about the scholarships and help give bright and promising students the support needed to enter this important field.

To make it easy for you, we've created some tools to help you communicate the program to your publics:

Charles Fishman, author of "The Big Thirst: The Secret Life and Turbulent Future of Water" will speak on Tuesday, February 23 at CASA's Washington DC Policy Forum. In his best selling book, Mr. Fishman warns that everything about water is about to change - how we use it, how we share it, and how we value it. He is a former metro and national reporter for The Washington Post, whose story about bottled water, Message in a Bottle, was a finalist for the 2008 Gerald Loeb Award for magazine writing.

Don't miss what promises to be an engaging and thought-provoking look at water scarcity, drought and protection of our drinking water supplies. There's still time to register for the D.C. Policy Forum!

Replicating Success: What we Learned from a "Ban the Beads" Campaign

In his blog, CASA's Director of Government Affairs, Adam Link, shares an insider's perspective of the campaign to ban microbeads.

On February 9, President Obama released his proposed budget request to Congress. In an unfortunate turn of events, the Administration is seeking to cut the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) Loan program by $257 million, while simultaneously increasing the allocation for the Drinking Water SRF program by $158 million. This move may be a response to the situation in Flint, MI where drinking water supply and distribution was severely impacted.

However, taking from one essential program to provide for another runs counter to the Administration's professed desire to address infrastructure needs. Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle have apparently criticized the move, and it has been decried by many as a short-sighted and ineffective way to address the nation's water infrastructure problems.

The budget does include a $20 million appropriation get the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act Water program off the ground, but clearly at the expense of other existing programs such as the SRF. The proposed budget also makes cuts to significant environmental and emergency response programs, including a cut to FEMA preparedness grants of almost $500 million and a cut to the US Army Corps of Engineers of more than $1 billion.

Regardless, each of these proposed cuts is unlikely to survive budget negotiations. Given the widespread opposition, Congress is expected to reject the request.

Mixed Bag

Water Board Funding Fairs

The CA Financing Coordinating Committee (CFCC) is offering six FREE upcoming funding fairs beginning April 13. The funding fairs provide opportunities to learn more about available grant, loan and bond financing options for infrastructure projects. These fairs are directed toward local government representatives, water and irrigation district managers, economic development and engineering professionals, financial advisors, and project consultants.

CASA is following the Flint, MI water crisis along with our national partner, NACWA. Stay tuned to NACWA's website for updates.

The City of Keene (New Hampshire) worked with high school students to create a music video for Don't Flush That, a song featuring a manhole superhero and set to the tune of Bruce Springsteen's "Pink Cadillac."

Agency News

CASA needs your photos!

PHOTOS NEEDED!Calling all CASA members! We're building a photo library for our website and other communications and we need real-life photos! We'd like pictures of your facilities, grounds, equipment, employees in action, etc. Please send web-quality JPG files and/or print-quality PDF files to Brooke Sobol. (And if you can tell me anything about the pictures, that would be great! Thanks!

as the firm's Vice President of Water. Steve joins Harris with more than 30 years of water industry experience, most recently leading his own consulting firm. Steve is an active member of the Association of California Water Agencies, American Water Works Association, California Association of Sanitation Agencies and the Water Environment Federation.

Brian Danley

Brian Danley, Vice President at Anchor Engineering and CASA Associates Committee secretary, has been appointed to fill a vacancy on the Mt. View Sanitary District Board.